California city enforces green-lawn policy in middle of drought

A couple who are trying to conserve water by not watering their lawn amid the state's drought received a warning from the suburb and the police department where they live that they might be fined for creating an eyesore.

Reuters reports that Michael Korte and Laura Whitney, who live near Los Angeles in Glendora, said the city warning them they had 60 days to water their partially brown lawn or pay a fine ranging from $100 to $500.

"I don't think it's right for us to start pouring water into our lawn in the middle of July during a drought," Whitney told Reuters. "We're kind of in a quandary about what to do."

The letter came the same week that statewide water regulators passed emergency drought restrictions for outdoor water use. Those regulations, to take effect this August, require cities to demand cutbacks in water use, and empower them to fine residents up to $500 for overwatering their lawns.